Google has officially retired its Web Vitals Chrome extension with the release of Chrome 132. All of its key features are now fully integrated into DevTools’ Performance panel, making it the go-to tool for measuring Core Web Vitals. While the extension was used by nearly 200,000 users, the Chrome team has decided to focus solely on DevTools, which offers a more powerful and centralized platform for debugging site performance.
The Web Vitals extension was valuable for early Core Web Vitals monitoring, but DevTools now provides the same functionality and more. By consolidating these features within DevTools, Google aims to streamline the performance optimization workflow for developers.
The Performance panel in DevTools now mirrors and expands upon the extension’s capabilities. It includes features such as live Core Web Vitals data for local tests, the ability to compare local metrics with CrUX data for URLs and origins across desktop and mobile views, and detailed insights into Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), including the specific element contributing to the LCP score and a breakdown of phases like Time to First Byte (TTFB) and render delay. Additionally, the panel offers an Interaction To Next Paint (INP) Interaction Log to track interactions impacting INP with detailed timing for input delay, processing, and presentation, as well as a Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) Log to visualize grouped layout shifts contributing to the CLS score. Diagnostic metrics like TTFB and First Contentful Paint (FCP) are also included. Essentially, DevTools now provides all the functionality of the extension, along with advanced debugging tools, all within a single interface.
Developers who are still using the Web Vitals extension are encouraged to transition to DevTools. Google has even created a migration guide to facilitate this process. For those who cannot migrate immediately, instructions for maintaining a local copy of the extension have been provided. However, it’s important to note that the CrUX API key associated with the extension will soon be revoked, which may disrupt field data integration unless a new key is generated through the CrUX API documentation.
This move signifies Google’s commitment to making DevTools the premier performance monitoring tool for developers. The Performance panel now encompasses everything from Core Web Vitals to advanced diagnostics, with further updates on the horizon. While the Web Vitals extension served a valuable purpose, its core features are now seamlessly integrated within DevTools, simplifying the process of monitoring and optimizing site performance for developers.
For more information, please refer to the official announcement or the GitHub repository.